An Unexpected Pairing
by Taralani2362
Summary: It's the 74th Hunger games, and two tributes from district 12 must enter the arena once more. Yet when Katniss volunteers, she doesn't expect to come home, and as much as it hurts, neither does her best friend Gale, yet even more so, neither of them expect that her tribute partner will be someone she's been close to for years. The odds are in no-one's favour. -Gale's POV
1. May the Odds Be In Your Favour

**Hey Everyone. Sorry I haven't written anything in a while, been surprisingly busy.**

**Anyhow, this story was meant to be my first, though instead I did the Cato/Clove stories which I'll likely return to later. Also Im dedicating this story to my friend Bex (fanfic name: AnItalianDuck) and you'll also actually see her appear in this story in the next chapter, and you've actually heard of her before if you've read _Trained to Win_ or _A Victory To_ _Remember._**

**So without further ado, here is _An Unexpected Pairing_. I hope you like it :)**

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"How much?" The sun is barely in the sky by the time I stand facing Mr Mellark in the doorway of his bakery. There's little left in my game bag from the day before, but on such a day as this, I'll trade all of it for a bit of breakfast to take with me to the woods.

"One squirrel." A squirrel? That's all? It almost feels like a crime when I trade my squirrel for the delicious bread I know will have just been baked. Bakers always do that, wake early and do all their baking in the morning, or the night before in some places apparently, I'm thankful that Mr Mellark and his sons do it in the morning, the fine bread is still warm to the touch, and I barely notice the morning chill. Yet as I turn to leave I hear a simple "Good luck Gale" behind me.

It's silent as I head towards the meadow, though it's true that few wake up this early in district 12, there are usually some about. Yet today is reaping day, and everyone will try to get all the sleep they can get, for two people it may be the last decent night's sleep they _ever_ get.

Before long I end up facing a high chain-link fence, barring me from the woods, as well as enclosing the entirety of district 12. It's meant to protect us from all the savage beasts that lie beyond it, bears, lynx's, wild dogs, yet to me it's only ever seemed to make home feel like a prison. However it's an awful prison as the gate stands silent when there should be a constant hum of electricity travelling through it 24 hours of the day every day of the week. We're lucky if we get two to three hours of electricity here, so thankfully it's rarely ever on when I want to pass under the metre long stretch of loose gate and onwards towards the woods.

It's still early, so I check my snares before heading to the rocky outcrop overshadowing the valley which is my usual meet up spot with Katniss; it'll be another hour before she even wakes up, though that doesn't stop me checking the hollow log where she stores her bow. Both of our fathers were hunters before us, I never knew Mr Everdeen well, but I know about his skill of carving bows. Katniss tells me she has near five of them stored around the woods, but her father's bow is the one she uses, and so long as it's stored within the log in its usual waterproof cover, I know she isn't in the woods yet. Sure enough, the bows still there, though I take a singular arrow anyway, my own bow is hidden not far from here in a similar log, but I don't feel like taking it out today, I have my hunting knife and if I'm attacked, it's all I need.

When I get to my snares it turns out there was no point even checking them, I had game yesterday but today they're all bare, save one containing a rabbit which is so beaten up and chewed by some other animal in here, there's no sense in taking it. I simply throw it unceremoniously towards a bush before resetting the snare, and heading towards the meeting point.

The suns higher in the sky by now that I can actually see where I'm going without any difficulty. When I get there there's still no sign of Katniss, and I sit down beside a blackberry bush and take out the baked bread from my game bag. To my delight it's still warm, and with a sly smile I skewer it with the arrow and place it beside me.

I don't wait long before Katniss walks up towards me, and at the sight of me her lips curve into that smile of hers I've grown to love so much. "Hey Catnip." Both of us lost our fathers in the mine explosion five years ago, and both of us started to hunt in the woods on our own, I sometimes think its fate that we started to be hunting partners, though when she first met me she whispered her name so quietly she may as well have said Catnip. It didn't help that a lynx then started to follow her around causing the nickname to stick; I don't think it'll ever drop. Shame she shot it.

"Look what I shot." I hold up the bread and smile at her. As soon as she sees it she lets out that laugh of hers and settles down beside me taking it in her hands and removing the arrow before raising is to her nose to smell it.

"Mm, still warm. What did it cost you?"

"Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning, even wished me luck." I almost feel proud of getting the squirrel for such a cheap price, but we all feel closer today.

"Prim left us a cheese." My eyes brighten as she pulls out a lump of cheese from her game bag.

"Thank you Prim. We'll have a real feast." I can't help but smirk then as I take a few blackberries from the bushes and state "I almost forgot! Happy hunger games!" I look to Katniss who I know wants to laugh at my awful capitol-like accent, which everyone in district 12 knows so well thanks to Miss Effie trinket, and toss a single berry up in a high arc towards her. "And may the odds-"

She catches it and swallows, smiling at the sweet juice before finishing "be _ever_ in your favour."

We have to joke about it; everyone else is scared stiff by the Games. 'Let's send 24 children into an arena where they fight to the death and only one of them can come out alive.' Besides, anything sounds funny in a capitolite accent, it's ridiculous.

As I start to slice up the bread I can't help think about how much I detest the Hunger Games. 12 districts, all of them having to compete in a 'games' if it even deserves to be called that, 'hell' might be more appropriate, where one girl and one boy from each district goes to the capitol, is forced to dress like an idiot and ride on a chariot before having a few days of 'training' then being interviewed by one of the weirdest capitolites in the whole of Panem, and then being thrown into an arena to fight to the death live on television.

"We could do it, you know." I don't know what makes me say it, but as the hate for the hunger games rises within me all I want to do is leave.

"What?"

"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it." I know from the look on her face that she thinks it's a stupid idea, and maybe it is, but as I say it, it almost seems possible. "If we didn't have so many kids."

They're not our kids of course, but our siblings: her little sister Prim who comes of age for the Games this year, and my three siblings, Rory (same age as Prim), Vick, and Posy. Then of course there are our mothers, we could never abandon them I guess… but as I think about it, it could work. We could all run, we come here every day and no-one bats an eye. After the games, which are mandatory to watch for at least an hour or two a day, Katniss and I could come out to the woods and try to find somewhere, an old abandoned house or something. If there was one, we could fix it up, and if not, we could build one, a cabin, far out in the middle of the woods. We could hunt, our mothers could cook, and we could teach Rory and Vick to hunt, Prim never could she always gets squeamish about hurting animals. Plus buttercup, an ill-tempered cat of prim's could keep away any vermin, and Prim's goat could give us milk and-

"I never want to have kids." I blink at her, before looking out across the valley.

"I might. If I didn't live here."

"But you do." Her tone is irritated and just by those three words I know she'd never do it; it's as though my fantasy shatters before me.

"Forget it."

There's an uncomfortable pause which seems to go on forever, before Katniss finally plucks up the courage to break it. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's fish at the lake. We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight." And even though I didn't say it, I know both of us think it, _after the reaping._

We do well at the lake, and our previous tiff or whatever you call it, is forgotten. By late morning we have a dozen fish, a bag of greens, and a large quantity of strawberries. Katniss found the patch a while ago, and as the mayor likes them (and pays good money for them) I strung up some mesh nets around the patch to keep out the wild animals.

Living in the Seam, we head straight for the Hob, a black market that operates in an abandoned warehouse that, once upon a time, held coal. It's called a black market, but practically all the seam folk and the peace keepers for that matter know about it, and no-one really classes it as illegal at all. Most businesses are closed on reaping day anyway, save the bakery, apothecary, and the Hob, which is still fairly busy; I've never seen it quiet during daylight.

It's almost too easy when we trade the six fish for more decent bread (even if it's not from the bakery), and two more for salt. Greasy Sae then takes half the greens off our hands for a couple of chunks of paraffin. We could always sell better elsewhere, but she's the only one who takes dog meat off us. Not that we hunt it, but if it attacks, we kill it without a thought, and it's no use going to waste.

Once done at the hob I go with Katniss to the back of the Mayor's house to sell half of the strawberries we picked. Madge, his daughter, opens the door, and even though I have no real reason to, I can't help but feel a slightness of contempt towards her. She isn't a snob, she's alright I suppose, and is almost a friend to Katniss (she doesn't have many…) but she isn't more the Seam, and that is why I can never like her, not properly.

"Pretty dress." She shoots me a look and I don't react. It is a pretty dress, not surprising though considering who she is.

"Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look pretty." I look at her confusedly and then my face darkens, and I know Katniss feels it.

"You won't be going to the Capitol. What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just 12 years old." My eyes rest on the gold pin that adorns her dress, real gold, and beautifully crafted, it would feed my family for weeks.

"That's not her fault."

I look to Katniss but still I just feel anger. "No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is."

The reaping system is unfair, it always has been. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn 12, making this year Prim and Rory's first reaping. That year, your name is entered into the great big bowl of name slips once. Twice when you're thirteen, three at fourteen, and so forth. But if you're poor, like practically everyone in the seam is, you can get tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meagre year's supply of grain and oil for one person. You can do it for every member of your family as well, so when I was twelve, I took out my share, and a share for both of my brothers (Posy wasn't born) and my parents. My father didn't die until I was thirteen.

The thing is, it's cumulative. I've been taking out tesserae for myself and my family every year since, so now my names in forty-two times. Lucky me.

My face is still stony and annoyed as we head home. I know Katniss agrees with me, we've both ranted about tesserae often enough, in the woods where we know _they_ don't hear us, whoever they are, but she's right when she points out how it doesn't change anything, but that doesn't stop me yelling in the woods.

We divide our spoils leaving two fish, a couple of loaves, greens a few handfuls of strawberries, salt, paraffin, and a bit of money for each of us. Once done, I close my game bag and she hers as she looks up at me and says "see you in the square."

"Wear something pretty." My voice is flat and emotionless when I reply. We go our separate ways, though we don't live too far apart, and after a minute or two of walking I'm back at my own front door. It's a small hut, with only two bedrooms, one for me and my brothers, and one for my mother and sister, but it's home.

I wipe the stony expression off my face before entering, I don't want my family to see me annoyed, Rory will already be feeling worried, I know I was.

"Hey Mum, I'm home!" I call out as I walk through the door, and before I even close it properly behind me I hear a loud "Gale!" and a small figure throws itself at me, wrapping its arms around my waist. Unprepared, I stagger back slightly then smile down and ruffle the hair of Vick, my youngest brother.

"Hey little man."

"Did you shoot lots of game?"

"Better. I got us a rare treat. Take a look." I hold the bag out to him and he quickly releases me to look inside.

"Hello Honey." Looking away from my brother I see my mother standing in the doorway between her room and the main room, with Posy perched on her hip giggling happily. Four years old yet still ignorant of most of the world's horrors. I really envy her.

"Hey Mum." I walk over to her and give her a one armed hug as Vick shouts out with glee about the fish. She's already wearing her plaid dress, especially worn for parties and special occasions, and Posy is in her own little Pink dress with a matching ribbon in her short hair. It's almost sick that the capitol request we dress smartly for the reaping, it's like dressing yourself for your own funeral, or at least for two people it is.

"You have two fish?"

"And bread, a couple strawberries, paraffin, and a few greens." I shrug at her, she isn't even surprised that I have so much; Katniss and I always try to get more on reaping day, and don't sell as much to leave us even more.

"That's great, I'll cook the fish for lunch, there's a warm tub waiting for you in the back room, when you're cleaned and dressed it'll be ready and we can sit down to eat before-." There's a soft creaking of floorboards as Rory comes in from the bedroom, wearing a grey shirt tucked into sleek brown trousers. "Well, we can sit down to eat." I smile sadly at her as she stops herself from talking about the reaping and turn to Rory.

"Hey Rory."

"Hey Gale. You caught fish?"

"Yeah, two, help Mum prepare it okay?" When he nods, I turn and walk towards the back room and slowly climb into the warm tub awaiting me. I scrub off all the dirt and sweat I accumulated from the woods, and even rinse my hair before getting out and dressing in the faded blue shirt and brown trousers my mother laid out for me earlier.

We try to eat jovially, my mother, Vick, and I talking like it's a usual lunch, and Posy smiling happily beside my mother, and making the odd comment, but there's still a shadow of misery amongst us, and Rory doesn't say a word. He only has one slip, just one, I refused to let him take out tesserae, though as this is my last year, it's likely that next year he'll have to, but for now all he has is one, and if my the time he's my age he has 4 less slips, or even one less than I do, it'll be enough.

We save most of the bread and some of the greens for the evening meal. We still have some chees so it'll probably just be cheese sandwiches tonight, but we've always had big lunches on reaping days, mum says it helps make us strong for it, even though we shouldn't need to be.

When we've finished, Vick helps with the washing up, and I take his seat next to Rory.

"Hey, cheer up. It's just reaping day."

"But it's not _just_ reaping day. It's reaping day. The day where two people's name will be pulled out of the reaping ball and two people will go to their deaths."

"Two people. But not you."

"You don't know that." He looks me full in the face, and I feel a pang of sadness at the evident fear in his eyes.

"Yes I do. You have one slip. I have forty-two, and Sean Edmonds in my year has 74 slips. He has 7 people in his family, and he's the one who takes out tesserae. You'll be fine." I give him a one armed hug as my mother and brother finish with the dishes, and then stand.

"Come on, let's go."

Attendance at the reaping is mandatory unless you're at death's door. This evening, officials will go around all the houses to check if you are, and if you're not, you're imprisoned. The square is usually one of the pleasant places in district 12, but on reaping day it just feels grim. The banners and camera crews perched like vultures on rooftops', don't help the matter either, and only add to the effect.

We file in silently and sign in. 12-18 year olds are herded into roped off pens within the square, with the oldest like me at the front, and the youngest such as Prim and Rory, towards the back, with our family members around the perimeter.

A feeling of slight claustrophobia overtakes me as more and more people file into the square, but not even the square can hold the entire population of district 12, and latecomers are directed to adjacent streets to watch the entire 'show' live on television. I look around and see Katniss arrive and take her place in the 16 year old section, exchanging nods with a few other girls before looking towards the stage. I follow her lead and do the same.

There are three chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls. In one of those balls, my name is on forty-two slips. On the chairs sit Mayor Undersee, Madge's father, a tall balding man, and then Effie Trinket, a highly annoying capitolite woman who is even more annoyingly district 12's 'escort. She sits with her usual scary white grin, pinkish hair and spring green suit. It's disgusting.

The last chair remains empty, which absolutely no-one finds to be a surprise. Two mentors from each district have to go with their tributes to the games, but as we only have one, the same mentor sits on stage every year and every year goes to the capitol. Haymitch Abernathy. A drunk. He won the second quarter quell where there were 48 tributes rather than 24, but ever since he returned he's never been the same, and spends most of his time either drunk as hell, or lying in bed with a searing hangover, which he thinks the best cure for, is to drink more.

The mayor and Effie mutter to each other before evidently deciding that they should start anyway, and as the clock strikes 2, Mayor Undersee steps up to the podium and begins to read. It's the same everywhere, the history of Panem, the dark days, the uprising, and the treaty of treason. I've heard it so often that I let it go past me without realising, instead thinking of what I'll do tonight at home, and the next days in the woods, and then my mind reverts back to what could happen if we did all just run away. Would they have caught us?

The sound of hollering brings my attention back to the square and I watch as Haymitch staggers up the stairs, drunk as always. The mayor was evidently reading the names of past victors, and the crowd begins to clap, the token applause. Yet confused, Haymitch just goes to hug Effie Trinket, if it wasn't the reaping, it'd almost be funny, and she barely fends him off.

As it's televised though, district 12 is now the laughing stock of Panem, and the mayor can't help but seem distressed. As we're always the laughing stock however, I don't see how he's still upset about it; everyone else is used to it by now. I look back to Katniss and as she meets my eye a ghost of a smile appears on my face. As reapings go, at least this one is funny. Then I remember the forty-two slips, and I know she does to, so I turn away, my face darkening.

Then it's time for the drawing… the main event. Effie stands and walks over to the large glass balls on the stage, her large heels echoing across the square as they hit the hard wood. "Ladies first!" She walks over to the girl's ball and moves it around dramatically before pulling out a slip of paper beneath two elongated fingernails. She then walks over to the podium and smooth's it out. _Not Katniss. Not Katniss._ I know it's wrong to wish for another girl to be the one to die, but right now I don't care, I just don't want Katniss to be the girl who dies this year.

And I'm right. It isn't Katniss. "Primrose Everdeen." It's worse than Katniss.

The crowd murmurs unhappily as they always do when a 12-year-old is chosen, but my head whips around to look at Katniss, who simply looks speechless. She blinks and then opens her mouth but I don't hear what she shouts. She tries again, and this time everyone hears. "Prim!"

The small fair-haired girl I've come to love like a little sister keeps walking towards the stage, her fists clenched as I know she tries not to cry. She's almost at the steps when the other kids' part for Katniss as she runs forward and pushes the small child behind her. "I volunteer!" _NO. Katniss, No! _"I volunteer as tribute!"

Confusion spreads like wildfire across the district. District 12 hasn't had a volunteer in decades and the protocol itself has become rusty. In some districts, people volunteer willingly, there, winning the reaping is a great honour, like districts 1 and 2, sometimes 4, but here it's a death sentence. The rule is that once a tribute's name has been pulled another eligible child of the same gender can step forward to take his or her place.

"Lovely! But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers and then if one does come fort then we, umm…" Effie trails off; most of the square is glaring daggers at her.

"What does it matter?" The mayor cuts across her and I see him look to Katniss with a pained expression on his face, the girl who brings him the strawberries. Five years ago he presented both her and me with a medal of valour for our fathers, who were vaporised in the mines, now all he is thinking is that the girl he gave the medal to all those years ago will never come home after today, it's clear from the look on his face.

"What does it matter? Let her come forward." Prim's hysteric screams fill the square as she wraps her arms about Katniss refusing to let go. I walk quickly towards them as she continues to shout how she can't go, and she won't let her.

"Prim, let go." Katniss's voice is sharp but I know her well enough to know it's just for the camera's, she doesn't want to seem weak, and the competition will watch her daring her to cry so as to mark her as an easy target. Katniss won't let that happen.

I reach them and go to pull little Prim up and away from her. She thrashes hard, tears streaming down her face but I just wrap her more tightly in my arms and look to Katniss determinedly. "Up you go Catnip." I turn and head towards Mrs Everdeen, Prim still shouting in my arms, as Effie talk's nonsense and almost seems excited about my best friend going to her death, and I hear "Katniss Everdeen" echoing throughout the square as she's asked her name.

As I pass Prim over to her mother, both of them wrap themselves in each other's arms as Effie dares to ask for a round of applause for "our newest tribute".

No-one claps. I turn to face the stage again and go to return to my place, and the whole square is silent. Then a shift occurs and one by one almost every member of the crowd touches three middles fingers of their left hand to their lips, and holds it out to her, my best friend, who has now become something precious to us all. I join the salute, a gesture that is very old, and rarely used, it means thanks, it means admiration, and it means goodbye to someone you love. It has never been used more appropriately in history.

She looks like she's about to cry, yet then Haymitch staggers up and throws an arm about her shoulders. "Look at her! Look at this one! I like her! Lots of… Spunk!" He releases her and staggers a bit as she continues to shout and holler at the top of his lungs. "More than you!" He turns to the closest camera boy and points directly down the lens. "More than you!" Is he addressing the capitol? I don't know, and then he plummets off the stage in front of his all, knocking himself unconscious.

Haymitch is whisked away and I see Katniss has composed herself. Effie then continues as though nothing happened. "What an exciting day! But more excitement to come! It's time to choose our boy tribute!"

_How is that more exciting._

She walks over to the great glass balls once more, this time the one for the boys, and reaches inside. I try to catch Katniss's eye, willing her to look at her so I can let her know through looks rather than words that it'll be alright, we've always been able to do that. Becoming hunting partners has allowed us to know each other almost, if not better, than we know ourselves. But she looks determinedly over the hills, and I know my attempt is futile. If she didn't have to, I doubt she'd even look at the boy tribute when his name is called, as she knows he'll only have to die, for her to come home.

Effie smooth's out the slip as before and coughs that irritating cough of hers, before speaking the one name that could make this day the worst it could possibly be.

"Gale Hawthorne."

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**Okay I hope you liked it. The next chapter will be up next Saturday as usual.**

**As well as this though, I'm introducing an idea I found on another fanfic. For every 25 reviews, I'll upload the next chapter early. So for example if this chapter got 25 reviews, Chapter 2 would be up on Wednesday.**

**See you either Wednesday or Saturday!**

**-Tara**

**PS: If any of you would be interested in reading a runescape (MMORPG) fanfic about vampires (nothing. like. twilight. Genuine vampires... please review telling me as my friend has written one but doesn't want to upload it if he doesn't think anyone would read it ;P. So please please please, even if you hate this story, pm or review telling me whether or not you'd read the fic i've just mentioned as a favour to me. Thank you! x**


	2. Last Goodbye's

**Hey all! So, I have my laptop, I got it back 2 days ago, though I was only properly allowed on it yesturday, and only just fully finished off and proof-read the chapter like... a minute ago. But, it's up now, sorry for the delay, I hope you like this chapter, you will find there's a slight change to the canon and there is a story behind that.**

**As you know this was meant to be the first fanfic I wrote, but I decided to do Clato as a beginner in the end, however I did plan the first bit of this one first, and I promised my friend (who got me into this fanfiction website) that I'd put her in it, and that friend is who I've dedicated this story too, Go Bex :P! So, the surprise character is her ;p and you will love her in future chapters, trust me.**

**Hope you like the chapter!**

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Chapter 2 – Last Goodbye's

_Gale Hawthorne. Gale. Hawthorne. My name. Me. How? _Without even looking I know all eyes are on me, all waiting for me to mount the stage and stand beside my friend, and leave my family and hers without anyone to provide for them.

"No! Not Gale too! Gale don't'! No!" Prim's shouts barely register in my mind, before I hear my mother wail and collapse beside Katniss' and both women stand crying in each other's arms, Prim and my siblings beside them. Even Posy looks confused, and knows something's wrong. "Why's everybody crying?"

I look to my little sister, before turning and walking determinedly to the stage. If Katniss can do it, so can I.

The silence continues even when I mount the steps to the risen wooden platform which is the first stage of my death. In just a few days I'll be in an arena, and not just that, not with just some other skinny girl from the seam I don't know, but with my best friend who I've known for years, who would be the only one who'd make sure my mother, brothers, and sisters, were cared for when I left, made sure Rory and Vick and Posy never had to take out tesserae if they could help it, and would never have to enter the arena.

But she can't, she's going in with me, and it's unlikely either of us will make it out alive.

I stand beside our stupidly dressed escort as she dares ask for volunteers. For a split second I see Rory lock eyes with me and start to open my mouth, but I instantly narrow my eyes, and he closes it again. If anyone is going to die, it will not be my brother, never, my brother.

The mayor starts to begin the long 'treaty of treason' but I'm not listening. I'm looking determinedly ahead and I know the girl beside me is doing the same. I can't look at my family, if I do then I'll fall apart, and if I do that, then I'll be marked as an easy target, despite my surprisingly decent build.

My mind wonders to what would have happened if we had left. If we'd gone then, just a few hours ago, this morning, then this wouldn't have happened, we could have got out, we should've gotten out, we could have hidden for a week, they'd see we weren't there and would never come after us, then we could come back and get whatever we needed, no peacekeepers or anyone in the seam would turn us in, not unless they had to.

Then the mayor finished his speech and gestures for both of us to shake hands. I turn stiffly and look to Katniss as I would any other tribute, but she knows I don't mean it, she knows it's for the camera's, and she does the same. We shake hands, the anthem plays, and before I know it, I'm whisked away towards the Justice Building where we're both conducted into different rooms, and left while our family's come to see us.

As I look around, I see that the room I'm in is the richest place I have ever been in, with thick, deep carpets without a single stain, a long velvet couch (at least I think it's velvet) and matching comfy-looking chairs.

I can't help but find it rather ironic that we say our final goodbye's to our families in perhaps one of the nicest places in the entirety of district 12. It's like we're in heaven already, if such a place even exists, like we're dead already. It sickens me.

I only have to wait a few minutes before there's a knock at the door and four very familiar figures walk in, trying not to run, my mother clutching Posy's hand as she continually looks confusedly up at me.

Within seconds I'm on my knees, my arms wrapped around my brothers, and there arms around me, our mother hugging us all, trapping Posy with us. For a while, we just sit like this, and I don't want to move, not ever, though I know I'll have to.

Painfully, I pry myself out of their arms and force them to sit down, even though Rory still clings to me, and before I can speak he starts spurting out word after word. "I would have volunteered! You should have let me and then everyone would be okay because you could provide for them like I can't, you know I can't shoot a bow, I tried and missed and I can only make one snare not like you, you can make all of them I know you can and-"

"Rory!" My sudden shout shocks him into silence and I look to him carefully, trying not to be harsh, but knowing I have to be.

"I don't want any of you, you, Vick, Posy, or Prim, to have to be in these Games, and neither does Katniss. If you'd gone into the Games Katniss would have done everything to make sure you lived, and in doing so she might have died, and you'd have died. With both of us we have a chance, one of us will come home, it'll be okay." As I speak I don't know who I'm convincing, him or myself, but he shuts up about it, so it seems to work at least.

"Now listen to me, all of you. None of you are to take tesserae, Posy; you're not to watch TV."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to look really silly-" I only dread to think what they'll dress us in "-and I don't want you to go around telling all your friends about how silly I look. It'd hurt my manhood." My mother tries to laugh, though fails and ends up crying silently again. Vick quickly goes to comfort her as Posy simply giggles and nods, promising she won't watch just for me. I just hope my mother enforces it.

"You're all to look after each other whilst I'm away, and look after Katniss' family too, Rory, practice your snares at home and teach Vick. By the end of the year I want both of you to be at least decent enough to make Dad proud, then go into the woods and sort out mine. The game on them will be old by then so do _not_ eat it. Try to fix them and use my bow, you know where I keep it, Katniss' too, I know she wouldn't mind, but look after it."

"Gale… stop… don't talk like you won't come back… what you said was true, you have a chance. You and Katniss know what each other are thinking without even speaking, if you stick together you know one of you can come home. Promise me you'll try to come home."

As my mother speaks, I can't tell her my doubts, I can't bring myself to tell her the cold truth, I won't come home. The 'careers', those that actually train their entire lives so that they can win the games, they probably know 10 different ways to kill me with a sword, 20 with a knife, but I can't tell her that, so I smile, nod, and promise her I'll come home.

Then there's a peacekeeper at the door signalling us that our time's up and I clutch them all tightly one last time, taking in everything about them, how they feel, how they smell, how their tears make my hairs stand on end. A small hand clutches mine and puts a soft fabric something within it, before they're shouting 'goodbyes' and 'I love you's' and then they're gone. When I open it, I see my little sisters favourite pink bow, and a singular tear falls from my eye.

For what feels like forever, I sit and try not to think about the days ahead, simply concentrating on the here and the now, but I can't help it. Image upon image of previous Games repeatedly fill my mind and nothing I can do can stop them. By the time a peacekeeper comes in telling me I have more visitors, my hands are entwined within my hair, pulling painfully as I try to distract myself from the weeks ahead.

"Gale…?" As I look up, I can't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion as the baker's boy looks back at me, his name being Peeta I think, he's in Katniss' year at school but she once told me that the baker's boy threw her burnt bread. Though that doesn't explain why he's visiting me.

"Yeah..?"

"Look after her… okay?" After who? Katniss?

"Um… sure?"

"I just… yeah… you don't deserve this, either of you."

"Odds weren't in my favour I guess…" We sit in silence. Neither of us sure what to say to each other until the peace keeper returns and states how the time is up.

"Goodbye Gale."

"Goodbye Peeta."

It's only moments after he's left that I'm ushered out again and both myself and Katniss are directed to a car waiting to take us to the station. I've never been in a car before, wagons if I'm lucky to get from one part of the district to the next, but never a car. It's almost weird to be sat inside it watching the world go by. It also feels like a trap, but I push that thought out of my mind.

The entire ride to the station Katniss and I only look at each other once, but it's enough. She's been crying, she knows I want to, she's scared but knows she's done the right thing, and she's sorry. I smile weakly, telling her I'm sorry to, and then we're at the station being directed onto the platform, and onto the train, and then the doors slam shut behind us.

At first the speed takes my breath away, but then Effie Trinket takes us both and directs us to our rooms. We can do anything we want, wear anything we want, everything's at our disposal, as long as we're ready for dinner in an hour. _And soon are lives will be at the gamemakers disposal._ Katniss looks to me briefly, then turns and walks into her room, closing the door behind her.

Not wanting to be left in the same corridor as Effie Trinket, I hurry to my own room and shut the door quickly behind me. What awaits me is fancier than even the room back at the district building. The beds are large and highly comfy, as proved when I peel myself from the door and sit on it, and there are drawers and a door which I'm assuming leads to my own private bathroom. I want to shower and change, but right now I can't bring myself to do it. The thought of movement seems to much as thought after thought runs through my head.

Will I die? Will Katniss die? Will my family and hers have to watch us die? Who will look after them when we come home only in boxes? Is there life after death?

It's at that last philosophical thought that I decide I've done enough of thinking about what will happen, and I go straight to the shower. The water is blisteringly warm but I don't care. We never get hot water at home unless we boil it, and I'm so numb right now that all I can hope is that if I feel anything it'll be my skin burning.

Ten minutes later, I climb out and pull open the drawers, taking out a clean white pressed shirt and black pants, my own clothes discarded on a chair in the corner of the room, I won't need them now anyway. The only thing I do retrieve is the singular pink bow, which I undo so it's simply a plain pink ribbon, and tie it around my wrist. For some reason, it just makes me feel stronger.

I want to go see Katniss but I want to be alone for now, and I know she will too. We can talk and face each other when we're ready, but not yet, now's the time to simply prepare, sort ourselves out, if we can, and try not to think about dying.

"Gale, Katniss, it's time for supper do hurry along!" _Ugh, Effie_.

I exit my room and see Katniss exit hers at the same time ahead of me. Both of us following her along the shaking corridor, which I swear to myself I'll never get used to, and then we're sat at the ornate table in the next room. Our mentor, the one who's meant to be keeping us alive through the Games, is absent.

"Where's Haymitch?"

"Unconscious maybe? He did collapse off the stage…"

"yes, well it has been an exhausting day."

As she replies I can't help but mutter under my breath "yes you're wig nearly fell off. Oh the disaster" and also can't help but feel satisfied when Katniss smiles lightly near me.

The dinner itself comes in courses, and it's more food than I've seen in the past month: Carrot soup, lamb and mash potatoes, cheese and fruit, and a great rich chocolate cake. Even though I know I shouldn't, I can't help but stuff myself full of all of it, and beside me I see Katniss do the exact same thing.

"At least you two have manners. Last year's tributes ate with their hands like savages. It completely upset my digestion." I glare partially at her before looking straight at Katniss.

For a moment our situation is forgotten, we exchange the usual evil glint in our eyes, and then simultaneously finish the cake with our bare hands, and when it's all gone, she wipes her fingers on the cloth whilst I lick the plate spotless, before doing the same as her. When we leave the table, four chocolate handprints look up at us proudly from the white cloth.

Effie next shows us to another compartment where we watch the reapings recap. They're staggered throughout the day so that bastards- sorry, capitolians can watch all of them live.

I take a seat by Katniss whilst Effie sits as far away from us as is possible whilst still retaining some form of politeness, before the words 'District One' appear on the screen before us. Knowing that these first two districts will make up the careers, as well as possibly district four, our eyes never leave the screen, waiting to see who our biggest competition will be.

As in our district, the girls are first, and the girl who ends up as tribute is some 17 year old named Glimmer. She's tall, with long shimmering blonde hair, and I have to blink for a few seconds to stop concentrating on her, no doubt that this year she'll be doing the 'sexy' approach, and I almost feel guilty when I realise I don't mind. Katniss raises an eyebrow at me and I simply mouth back "what kind of name is Glimmer?", hoping she doesn't notice how hot I think this girl is, because let's face it, she is. Her district partner isn't as noticeable, I catch his name, Marvel, but not much about him interests me, his name's just as stupid, that's all that stand out.

Next shown is district two, where a girl named Clove is reaped, though it's not long before someone shouts out that they volunteer. Clove looks around furiously then her face drops. The girl that volunteers looks a little like the reaped girl; she's slightly smaller with long straight black hair and pale skin, yet probably older. Though by the expression on Clove's face it's obvious she's Clove's sister, I'd put her at 17 or 18, though I can't decide which. Katniss and I finally agree on 17 and it's only when we've agreed and the announcer is about to call out the boy tributes name, when I remember that we never heard the volunteering girl's name. "Catnip, rewind it."

She nods once, and in seconds we're at the start of district 2's reaping once more.

"I volunteer!"

"Who the he- no..." Clove looks around furious and I watch her face fall again. The girl makes her way slowly to the stage as a speechless Clove is taken away.

"And who are you dear?"

"Rebekah. My name is Rebekah."

"Bex! No Bex don't!'

"So you're not the only sibling volunteer…"

"I suppose not…"

"Rebekah… the 17 year old from district 2… keep an eye on her." She nods, and we watch as the district two boys name is called out.

His name is Cato and it's immediately obvious that he's 18 and has trained for this his whole life, he has to be at least twice my build, and with muscles like that it's obvious he could knock someone out with just one punch. Katniss squirms slightly and I know she's nervous, but I just nudge her once, and she calms, before looking back to the screen.

I don't pay much attention to the other tributes save for a boy named Noah from three, a girl called Marina from four and some girl from five whose name I don't actually know but she reminds me of a fox and when I tell Katniss this she nods thoughtfully, and I mentally dub her Foxface, I completely missed her real name anyway.

The only others who catch my eye is the boy from district 10 who seems to have a crippled leg _he won't last the bloodbath_ and the two from district 11. Thresh, and Rue. Like Cato, Thresh is tall and muscular, yet like the rest of his district (or at least most of them) he is dark skinned and quite sincere. When I see Rue though, a pang of regret fills me. She's small, only 12 years old, with a small kind face, and long frizzy hair. It always hurts when a 12 year old is reaped, and I can feel Katniss tense beside me when I realise, she's made her think of Prim.

"That guy will look after her" I try to sound comforting but it seems almost lost on her.

"What? Thresh? Are you joking?"

"I'm sure 11's like 12 Catnip, they'll look after their own. Besides I bet she's got some talents of her own, don't worry."

"I suppose…"

We then sit and watch as Katniss volunteers for Prim, and the commentators start chatting about how much of a surprise this is, and how interesting a games this will be, and then I watch myself mount the stage, shake hands, and be escorted off, before the program comes to a close.

"Well… there's our competition…" My eyes meet Katniss' and I know we start to talk in our minds again, though we can read each other so well it's not in the slightest bit difficult anymore. _We're screwed._

"Yep." _I know_.

"You're mentor has a lot to learn about presentation and a lot about televised behaviour."

"He was drunk. He always is every year, that's who he is."

"Every day." adds Katniss, and I can't help but grin and nod.

"Yes…" she almost hisses the word through her teeth, isn't she used to it by now? "How odd you two find it amusing." She starts ranting on before finishing by telling us how Haymitch Abernathy could be the difference between "life and death" when the man himself staggers in, still drunk of course.

"I miss supper?" His voice is slurred, and then vomit pours from his mouth onto the floor before collapsing in it. _Great._ I look to Katniss with a genuine 'what the hell' look, written across my face and she raises a hand to her mouth and laughs quietly.

Effie glares at us, stands and walks straight past him, somehow avoiding all the vomit before shouting "so laugh away!" and leaving us to clean him up. Katniss watches her go and then her eyes find Haymitch.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…" She looks down disgustedly at our mentor, and I simply sigh as I walk over to him, grabbing him under his arms and lifting him up ready to drag him from the room before looking to Katniss and muttering "may the odds be in our favour."

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**Okay yes so again, I'm sorry it was late. But the next chapter WILL be up on saturday, I haven't written it on my laptop so even if it suffers another horrible death, I can start it on another one and have it up and ready Saturday afternoon, english time ofc.**

**If i don't (but I will) I give you all permission to review or pm me the most creative insult ever. That way if something bad happens (I will put up an A/N if it does) you'll get a kick out of writing something hilariously mean :P mainly hilarious.**

**But yes, Saturday unless there's a zombie apocalypse.**

**Thanks for all your reviews so far, keep 'em up!**

**-Tara**


	3. The Capitol

**Hey Guys. sorry it's a short one but I promised I'd put something up, and I didn't want this one to be too long anyway as it's mainly me concentrating on Katniss and Gale. Next chapter onwards should be long and near the 4000 word mark again, so forgive me just this once and i'll see you again next Saturday. (unless you know, I reach 25 reviews ;) then it'll be wednesday)**

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Chapter 3 – The Capitol

Katniss sighs and stands to help and between the two of us we manage to find and guide him into his room as our mentor begins to wake.

"I tripped…? Smells bad." Haymitch wipes his nose with the back of the hand, only spreading the vomit, which only makes both Katniss and me feel like we're about to throw up all we've eaten, but we press on towards the bathroom, neither of us even thinking of dumping him on his bed.

Katniss releases her grip on Haymitch's arm and opens the door, allowing me to awkwardly turn and pull him inside before dropping him in the bathtub, managing to knock his head against the wall in the process.

"Ow…"

"Shut up Haymitch." I look to the shower above and am almost taken aback by the multitude of buttons, having no clue in the world how the damn thing works, yet the first button I press seems to work and hot water streams onto him.

"Well, at least if one of us wins we get a hot shower."

Katniss smiles briefly at me but stands back in the corner, looking at Haymitch continuously, her face paler than when Prim was reaped. I look back at Haymitch, covered in vomit and reeking of alcohol, before I remember how Mrs Everdeen is the one who deals with the sick people in district 12, especially those in the Seam as no-one can afford a real doctor, and Katniss can never stand it. For me however, being the 'man of the house' whenever Vick or Rory has been sick I've always had to clean them up whilst Mum's been busy with Posy. Though, my brothers are children, Haymitch Abernathy is just an idiotic drunk… and he's all we've got.

I start stripping Haymitch, feel incredibly awkward as I do so, and look back at her. "Go Catnip."

"I'm fine, really I-"

"Katniss Everdeen don't be an idiot I've been your hunting partner for five years, I know your family, and I especially know that whenever someone ill stops by your house you're nowhere in sight."

She looks down almost ashamedly, but nods. I point to the door and smirk triumphantly at her. "Out."

She sticks her tongue out at me then turns and walks towards the door.

She pauses and looks back at me, "Want me to send in a capitolite?"

"No thanks, hat with having to clean up our mentor without having an annoying capitolite hanging over my shoulder would be more appreciated."

"Alright, see you later maybe. Oh, and slap him for me when he wakes up, drunken idiot…"

"With pleasure." She smiles, and then leaves, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Whose bein' shlapped…?" Slurs Haymitch.

I check to see if his face is vomit free, then slap him hard across the face.

"Agh!"

"Shut up."

* * *

Haymitch snores loudly as he sleeps on the bed rather than the floor, and clean instead of covered in vomit. It took me about an hour before I was satisfied with how he was, before I dragged him back out of the bathroom and onto the bed, where he fell back to sleep in moments, not that he was properly awake at any point for the last hour anyway. I didn't bother doing anything with his clothes other than leave them on the floor, if an avox doesn't go in before he does, it might discourage him to drink again before the parade. Maybe.

The train stopped a while ago to refuel at another platform, and now that it's night, the train's surprisingly silent.

I know I should sleep, but I can't. Not until I've spoken to Katniss, and within seconds, I'm at her door, surprised that I actually found it.

I knock lightly, and after no answer, slowly push it open. "Catnip?"

The room inside is dark, the curtains drawn tight shut, and clothes lie strewn across the floor. I walk quietly over to the bed and sit at its end, smiling slightly at the small figure huddled beneath the thick fluffy blankets. For someone who is never calm about anything (and I mean anything), she looks surprisingly peaceful in her sleep; I feel almost guilty when I reach out and shake her leg to wake her.

Her eyes flash open and she spins, arm raised, but stops when her eyes adjust and she sees that it's only me.

"Tense?" I smirk at her and she rolls her eyes, if only slightly, before sitting up and wrapping the covers around her. It's only this gesture that makes me realise how she's not wearing a shirt, and I turn to the drawers and retrieve one, then throw it at her.

"Thanks." I look away briefly, whistling in a casual way as she pulls it on, and then sit down on the bed beside her.

"You know you're surprisingly cute when you're asleep right?"

"Shut up." She punches me lightly on the arm and fakes a look of annoyance at me.

"Wow, punches like that and you'll _definitely_ win the Games." I smirk teasingly at her, but she just looks down at her hands resting in her lap.

"We don't have a chance do we Gale…?" My face hardens when her voice quietens, and I almost feel angry at her words, even if the same thought has been running through my mind.

"Don't say that."

"I promised Prim one of us would come home."

"And we will. One of us will, and whoever that is will look after both our families and it'll be fine."

"Fine? Gale we're going into an arena with 22 other people, 6 of whom have probably been trained since the age of like 8 to use weapons, so that they can kill us, all of us, and bring 'glory to their district'. We're from district 12, we're skinny, we're underfed, and we're _nothing_. We're bloodbaths."

I quickly grab her shoulders and twist her so she's looking me straight in the eye. "Don't _ever_ say that."

"But-"

"Katniss. No." The use of her real name quietens her, and I wait just to make sure before continuing.

"We know snares. We know bows. As long as we stick together though the Games we'll be fine. We'll check out the competition, and we won't let them know our strengths. It's just like hunting Katniss."

"They're people Gale, it's different."

"They're people who stand in the way of coming home. Do you want Prim to have to watch you die on screen? Your mother? My mother? Rory?"

"Of course not!" Now it's her voice which rises in anger as she glares at me in defiance.

"Then don't let them. Fight, kill, live. One of us _will_ come home." She looks closely at me, and behind the defiance, I see the want in her eyes to believe me. I know she doesn't, but I don't care, it's enough for both of us to want it to be true, and it will get us through the days we have left which right now, is all that matters.

I lower my arms and turn back to lean against the headboard, and Katniss turns to rest her head against my shoulder, like we used to do in our special place in the woods. For a time, we stay like that, neither of us speaking, both of us thinking about the time ahead even though we don't want to, before I hear Katniss' heavy breathing, and know that she's drifted to sleep.

I lift her head up off of my shoulder and place it onto the nearest pillow, before standing to leave the room, pulling the quilt over her before walking blindly back to where I hope my own room is, and then collapse on my own bed.

* * *

"Gale! Get up! It's going to be a big big day!" _ugh… Goddamit Effie._ I slept badly last night, the thoughts of the Games spinning around in my head, the competition, and now that I know I'm almost in the capitol, I doubt if I'm ever going to sleep again. I pull myself out of bed and go over to the drawers, pulling out the first shirt and pair of trousers I find and putting them on. I find my shoes and put them on as well before walking to the door and pausing, my hand on the handle, as I check to make sure the singular piece of ribbon is still wrapped around my wrist.

The sight of it almost makes me crumple as Posy's innocent smile comes to the front of my mind, but I push it away and walk quickly out of the room, and in the direction which I hope is the dining cart. No-one's there when I enter, so I sit down and wait patiently for someone to show up. Annoyingly, instead of Katniss, Haymitch is the first one to enter, his face puffy and red from the day before. A plate of eggs and ham and potatoes is put in front of me and I start to eat, as Haymitch slumps into a chair beside me.

An avox asks me if I want something called 'hot chocolate' and not knowing what it is, I just say yes before a thick, creamy brown liquid is put in front of me. I look to it doubtfully, and Haymitch just smirks. "It's nice you know…"

I raise an eyebrow, but sip it, and my eyes widen in shock at how nice it is.

It's then when Katniss comes in, sliding into the chair opposite me, and the same plate of food is put in front of her. "Katniss, try this. It's called hot chocolate and it is amazing." She raises an eyebrow at me, but when it's placed in front of her she takes it and drinks, shuddering at its warmth before smiling at me. She doesn't even touch her food before she's finished, and when she does turn to the platter before her, she eats like she never will again. When I finish mine I sit back happily, revelling in the feeling of how I feel full, actually full, but that happiness is gone when I spot Haymitch pouring a colourless liquid into his glass of red juice.

"So, you're supposed to give us advice…" I look to Katniss as she addresses our mentor, and then wait for his response, only to be highly angered by what eventually comes from the drunkards lips.

"Here's some advice, stay alive." He bursts out laughing, and before I know what's happened, I've stood up and swiped his drink across the table and onto the floor with a singular swipe of his arm.

Haymitch looks slowly up at me, and before I know it has sent a punch right at my jaw, which was so unexpected that I don't even defend myself.

Katniss lets out a small hiss through gritted teeth and when he turns back to reach for a second glass and his bottle of spirits, she drives a knife into the table between them and his hand.

"Well, what's this? Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?" I glare at him, and when I sit back down I reach for some ice from the bucket in the middle of the table, only to have my hand slapped away by Haymitch.

"Don't. The bruise will make the audience think you've gotten mixed up with another tribute."

"So?"

"The bruise will say you've fought, and weren't caught either, as such a thing is against the rules." I look hard at him, before withdrawing my hand, finding myself more annoyed by the fact he's right rather than the pain, before he looks at Katniss. "Can you hit anything with that knife beside a table?"

I lean back in my chair casually, and look to Katniss. Her gift may be with a bow but she's thrown a fair few knives, but even then I'm surprised when she throws it and it embeds itself directly in the seam between two panels.

Our mentor considers it, before turning to both of us collectively. "Stand over here. Both of you." He walks to the middle of the room, and we obey, watching him with eyebrows raised as he starts walking around us, before stopping and meeting both our eyes in turn. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists get hold of you you'll be attractive enough."

"Oh what a comforting thought." Katniss' mouth twitches in a smirk at my comment, before our mentor continues.

"Alright, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you. But you have to do exactly what I say."

"Fine. Advice, now."

He looks to me briefly, then opens his mouth again to answer. "In a few minutes we'll be pulling into the station. No matter what you're stylists do, and I'll be surprised if you enjoy a single moment of it, don't object."

"But-"

He raises his hand, cutting Katniss off completely. "No buts. Don't resist." He takes his bottle, turns, and leaves, just as the car is enveloped in darkness as we start to pass under the tunnel beneath the mountains that form a natural barrier between the capitol and the eastern districts.

"So Haymitch is going to try to be sober… this I'll like to see."

"I give him two days."

"Two? Isn't that a bit optimistic?" She smirks at me, and then we both freeze as the entire car lights up again and the capitol stares back at us through our window.

Without being able to help myself, I run towards it, pressing my hands against the glass as I see the freakishly dressed capitolites looking up at us, and then almost snarl as they start to point excitedly up at us to their friends, knowing that it's a tribute train.

Katniss and I both back away and then Effie scurries in and starts to push us towards the door.

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**Hope you don't mind how short it was, See you Saturday guys, drop me a review please, anon or not!**

**-Tara**


	4. The District of Flame

**Alright guys, here's chapter 4,apologies for the lateness, school and all. Chapter 5 will be up next Saturday where we'll start the training sessions.**

**Hope you like!**

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Chapter 4 – The District of Flame

"Agh!" Another strip of, whatever it is, is pulled from my body and I bite the inside of my cheek hard to stop myself from shouting out. I've been stuck in this stupid room for the past few hours whilst three of the most idiotic people scurry around me, determined to make me look perfect for 'Portia' who I'm assuming must be my stylist.

Once the doors opened the reporters wouldn't stop taking photos of us and we were shoved unceremoniously into a car before we even knew what had hit us, I think both of us were still dazed by the flashes.

When we got to… wherever the hell we are, remake centre? Wherever, when we got here both of us were dragged away from each other giving us barely enough to time to raise eyebrows at each other in response, before shoving us into separate rooms, within which I was pounced upon by three weirdly dressed capitolites each squealing at me, poking me, and prodding me before starting to 'transform me'.

I've had hair washed and cut, my body scrubbed with something called an 'exfoliator' which just felt like sand being rubbed over my body which I'm sure scraped off three layers of skin as well as any dirt. My nails have been cut and shaped, oh and did I mention how I'm not allowed any clothes whatsoever? No I just get to wear a robe, which I don't even get to wear all the time.

How the hell I've managed to do as Haymitch said and not let out a word of annoyance, I don't know.

"Hm… yes I think he's ready. Just the moisturiser and then we can get Portia." The apparent head of my prep team turns to the other as she says this, though I've no idea on her name, or the names of the other two nutcases.

They nod and then start to rub me down with whatever moisturiser it is, which soothes my skin, and will apparently make it incredibly smooth, because of course that will be handy in an arena, 'no don't kill me, my skins silky smooth!', but I don't protest, and when they're done, they're pushed from the room by the third, and I'm left alone.

I pick up my discarded robe which they insisted I removed, and put it back on, then simply wait. I don't wait long before a tall woman dressed all in black enters, even her lips are black. Her hair is slightly blonde and oddly curled, and her eyes, which examine me so closely it's unnerving, are surrounded by a purplish eye-shadow and eye liner. All in all, she's completely capitol, and I want to hate her.

"Remove your robe please Gale." I narrow my eyes slightly, but do as I'm told, and as it drops to the floor, the odd woman begins to walk around me, her high black heels clattering on the floor as she walks.

"Hm, yes… they seemed to have done a good job." I know she means my prep team, but I don't answer her, I don't even know if she's talking to me or herself. She comes to a stop in front of me and pauses, before going to untie the pink ribbon still firmly wrapped around my wrist. When a member of my prep team tried to remove it I almost killed her, so they left it untouched.

"No! Leave it."

She narrows her eyes, but removes her hands as she looks up at me. "I am Portia, Gale and I will be your stylist for these games."

"I haven't seen you before… are you new?"

"I am. This is my first year in the Games." _So you got district 12._ "Come, lunch is waiting for us in the other room, and then I will show you what you will be wearing this evening."

She escorts me through to a room with three high white walls, the fourth side being nothing but a window looking out on the capitol. There are two sleek sofas opposite each other with a singular table in between them, and when Portia sits down, I sit on the other one.

She reaches under the table and seems to press a button, and then the whole thing opens up and a platter of food rises from beneath it. I find my eyes scanning every single piece, imagining how I could recreate it, the succulent chicken, juicy orange, the shining green peas. All of it looks so delicious and when I bite into the meal, my speculation is correct, it's one of the tastiest meals I've ever had.

Even if I could make some kind of recreation of this back in district 12, it would be nowhere near as good as this, and what's worse, is that in the capitol you can get it with the push of a button.

Portia eats slowly, talking to me about the upcoming parade between mouthfuls. "Now Gale, Cinna and I, Cinna being your district partner's stylist, decided that we'd dress you in complementary costumes this year."

"Okay…"

"Now of course you know that it's tradition to dress tributes in outfit's correspondent to their districts unique trade." I can't help but dread where this is going.

"So… something to do with coal."

"Indeed." She smiles slyly at me and stands. "Come, I'll show you."

I follow her almost reluctantly. District 12 has always been given newer stylists, often ones that aren't even that great, and so our costumes are never something to be thought of highly. One year the stylists thought it would actually be a good idea to send the tributes out stark naked covered in just coal dust, I had to cover Rory's eyes when they came on the screen, it was ridiculous.

Normally, when our stylists are at least partially sane, they simply dress us in coal miner outfits, or something short and skimpy if they can, with a headlamp attached to them. What this woman and Katniss' stylist have come up with, I dread not to think.

She leads me back into the other room where a long bag with a coat hanger poking out the top now sits casually on a chair.

Portia walks over to it and picks it up, turning to me and smiling. "This is a little… different." _At least it's clothes… but I doubt that's saying much_.

She unzips it and I widen my eyes in shock. It's absolutely nothing like I imagined. "You are alright with fire, aren't you Gale?"

When I walk towards Katniss by the chariots half an hour later, I find her dressed in exactly the same outfit as me: a sleek black leather unitard, with knee high matching boots and a flame-coloured cape. I wasn't allowed to keep the bow on, as annoyed as it made me, and I made Portia swear she'd look after it.

"Now when I said wear something pretty, I didn't mean full black Catnip." She smirks at me and the man beside her, who looks so normal I'm almost taken aback, holds his hand out towards me.

"Ah you must be Gale; my name is Cinna, Katniss' stylist."

"Ugh… yes, and Portia told me about you." I can't help but raise my eyebrow at him, there's practically nothing weird about him save for a singular earring. His clothes are normal, his hair seems his natural colour, is he even from the capitol?

He stands me by Katniss and starts to tell us about how he'll light our capes with 'synthetic' flame just before our chariot leaves, Portia stood smiling behind him.

As capitolites all around start to usher tributes onto their chariots, I turn and lift Katniss up onto ours, and she holds out her hand to help pull me up beside her. Both of us instinctively look out at the competition, seeing who we're going to have to kill to get home. I easily spot Rue and Foxface, before my eyes settle momentarily on the girl from district two, who is staring at Katniss, and then her eyes flick straight to mine, and after a few seconds I look away, glancing at district one instead before the doors open and their sleek white horses begin to pull them outside to face the crowd.

I watch them go, and before I know it Cinna is lighting both of our capes and our own horses are starting to pull us towards the exit. Cinna seems to remember something and calls at us frantically, and Katniss and I both look to him in complete confusion.

"What…?"

"I've no idea." He gestures something and then it clicks. "He wants us to hold hands."

Katniss raises an eyebrow but doesn't object when I take her hand in mine, and we're pulled out to the crowd.

Immediately there are shouts of shock and confusion as the millions of pairs of eyes settle on us, and then everywhere there are chants of "District 12!" and people calling our names out as loud as they can, our first names which they must have actually bothered to find out. "Gale! Katniss!"

I wave my free hand and wave at them, smiling even though I can't help but hate every one of them, and beside me I see Katniss blowing kisses to the crowd, and the crowd jumping and reaching out in an attempt to catch it as if it was a real thing. One capitolite even throws a rose straight at us which Katniss catches and sniffs, before sending another kiss in the general direction which is immediately met by shouts of joy.

Looking up at the giant screens surrounding the entire area, I can't help but laugh lightly at how amazing we actually look. We look on fire, genuinely on fire, but the flames are illuminating our faces and we're getting more screen time than any other tribute, even the blonde from district one. I suppose Cinna had a good idea when he made sure we didn't wear much make-up, we look actually recognisable unlike half the other tributes here who are plastered in the stuff.

When we finally reach the presidents mansion and he starts to make his speech, the camera's follow the tradition of flicking between the different chariots and tributes, but we still get more screen time than anyone else either way, and when we turn to leave, the cameras linger on us longer than they do the others, only increasing the chance that no-one will forget us, ever.

Once back inside, I jump off the chariot laughing heartily, Katniss smiling beside me. "Cinna, that was _brilliant_."

"Why thank you." He smiles at me, and I turn to help Katniss down off the chariot and she too congratulates Cinna and Portia on their work.

Portia removes are flaming clothing and extinguishes them as Katniss wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. I smile and then hold my hand out to Portia, who reluctantly passes me back my sisters pink bow, which I wrap securely around my wrist, before both of us are guided out to a car that will take us to the training centre, and I almost forget about the Games the picture of me on fire comes to mind, and I just imagine Posy looking in confusion at the TV and asking my mother "why's Gale on fire?"

* * *

**Aight, hoped you liked it, please drop a review to prove you're there? I got a nice bunch for chapters 1 and 2 and then you just stopped, please tell me what you think so i can improve my writing ^_^!**

**-Tara**


	5. Author's note of deepest apology

**Hey all,**

**I'm sorry to all of you who've been following this and awaiting an update, I will try and do one before this week's end but I've had a really hard past few weeks and haven't been able to sit down and write a chapter, let alone a good chapter as I hate uploading something I think is below my usual writing standard (and also below 3000 words hence why I try to elongate the chapters I upload that are closer to one thousand). I hope you can forgive me, I'll try and put up the next chapter soon I promise.**

**-Tara**


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